Smokie mnt campsite

I'm in Cherokee, NC - staying at the Happy Holiday RV Park. Been here 2 months and very pleased w/ staff and the grounds. They close for the season end of October.

KOA is in the area and Yogi RV Park -- both are nice parks as well. Believe KOA is open year round - not sure!

Drove by several other parks while here and these three seem to be the best and safest by far in my opinion...

By the way, if you enjoy the Casino's --- there is a VERY nice Harrahs in Cherokee ... very nice, has it all!

Elkmont Campground. NPS, no hookups, restrooms, lots of quiet. Will need reservations.

Elkmont is great, but has no hookups. We like to go to Pine Mountain RV Park in Pigeon Forge, but also like Smoky Bear in Cosby and Misty River in Walland. These are about 30 minutes outside of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, but they are all FHU, smaller sites, but good on-site owners.

River Plantation is about the first campground you come to in Sevierville TN. Rate for 30 amp $35.50. Nice place easy access. Also Clabough Campground in Pigeon Forge is another good choice. Try Big Meadow in Townsend TN. There are several campgrounds in Townsend.

We stayed at Happy Holiday RV Park in Cherokee, NC last spring and were very pleased with the campgrounds. We had one of the spots towards the back of the campground along a small creek. Was close to the showers and quiet (accept for the bubbling brook :-). Really liked the area in and around there.

Smokemont is my favorite NP CG in the park, close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the riding don't get any better than that, plus your on the less crowded side of the Park, I think that's why we like it better then Elkmont, and we also don't do the town scene so the farther away from PF and GB the better for us.

sounds like just what your wanting, and you can always ride into Cherokee for food items and fuel.

Dar

Thanks for the replies; I will do some checking online at the suggested spots. Yes I don't need to go to town or dollyworld or anything like that. I keep hearing about the great roads and sights.
When I work I work a lot, every saterday since march this year. When I play I play a lot. Looking to take 6 weeks tween now and thanksgiving. I am sending my bird dog in for a tune up to a proffesional trainer. While he is away I can do a bike trip. Once he is ready to go we will hunt the UP for grouse and woodcock, ND pheasant and partridge, SD pheasant, grouse and PC, and if I have time Nebraska quail and pheasant. I do all that out of my TC.

I strongly suggest staying in Townsend, TN and not the cities already mentioned, they are traffic horrors!! Townsend has several campgrounds, we stay at the KOA. We led a bike rally there two years ago:
1. Leave KOA in Towsend and ride to Foothills PKWY.
2. Drive the Foothills Parkway to H-129. Turn Left. Becomes the Tail of the Dragon.
3. Everyone stop at Deal's Gap at end of the Dragon.
5. Leave down H-28 AKA The Hellbender and turn onto H-143 at approx. mile 58.5 of the trip.
6. H-143 intersects H-129 again at mile 67.2 in Robbinsville, NC. Eat lunch.
7. We continue for a short distance on H-143 to the Cherohala Skyway at approx. mile 78.8. We will stop at the highest overlook on this scenic drive called Santeetlah, 5390 feet.
8. Continue on the Skyway to its end at H-360, total miles approx 119 so far.
9. Take H-360 to H-411 for short ride to H-72 at approx. mile 143 miles so far.
10. H-72 will become H-129 again where we will turn back onto the Foothills Parkway for the final section back to Townsend. We do recommend people stopping at the Looking Rock pull out and walking up to the observation tower.
11. Total ride will be approx. 183 miles.

Of course riding the Blue Ridge Parkway out of Cherokee is Really nice as is riding in the Smoky's themselves.

First, it's Smoky. :) Consider that during the day the higher elevations can be smoky/foggy. :) Also, the temperatures can vary 50 degrees over the next month or so depending on whether cold fronts come in or not.

Considering you will ride, plan out your rides and find a central place to camp after that. You could camp anywhere along I-40 all of the way to Newport and ride into Gatlinburg.

With a bike and depending on how far you like to ride, there are a lot of options. The problem with the Dragon is that it isn't near anywhere else in the Park unless you take a gravel road from inside the park over to it.

There are also many public camping areas in both National Forest and TVA lakes although most don't have hookups.